Dissonance
by Diamond Lil
Summary: Post The Telling
1. Default Chapter

TITLE: Dissonance  
  
AUTHOR: Lillian  
  
RATING: PG for Chapter 1  
  
SUMMARY: The Telling aftermath  
  
SPOILERS: All the way through season two, post-episode for The Telling.  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters all belong to JJ, in whom I trust until September. If I owned them, I wouldn't be working a 2nd job. I wish I was making money off of this story but alas, it isn't to be. ;)  
  
A/N: A friend wrote a fic post Telling and it inspired my own bit of madness. Thanks Mickey for beta-reading this for me. All feedback is appreciated.  
  
Distribution: Alias Fan Fiction Archive, Cover Me, SD-1.com Boards. All others please let me know first. Thank you!   
  
Chapter 1  
  
Sydney stared out the airplane window as she tried to make sense of the past 24 hours. Waking up in an alley in Hong Kong had been surreal enough but seeing Vaughn wearing a wedding ring had been more disconcerting than the fact she had been missing for almost 2 years. Fragments of memories flitted in and out of her mind, dancing behind her eyes, driving her mad. Syd closed her eyes and saw Francie eating the coffee ice cream, confirming her identity as the second double. Will lying seemingly dead in the bathtub. Francie, collapsing after being shot. The world going hazy as Syd sank into unconsciousness.  
  
But more than anything, Sydney felt guilty. Guilty that she had unwittingly caused the death of her closest friend. Francie would still be alive if Sloane hadn't been spying on Sydney. She kept hearing Will's words over and over in an unrelenting loop. "Meeting you destroyed my life." Unable to bear the memories or her thoughts another moment, Sydney asked a passing stewardess for a scotch, neat. The liquor burned her throat but immediately began to blessedly numb her brain. The drink gone, Syd slipped into a fitful sleep for the rest of the flight to Los Angeles.   
  
The jarring of the plane as it landed woke Sydney up. She didn't even have a carry-on to worry about as she arose to debark from the plane. I'm home, Syd automatically said to herself as she stepped into the walkway connecting the plane to the terminal. Home, she thought, it's not really home anymore. Home was where Vaughn was and he was no longer hers. He hadn't explained the ring to her in the safe house in Hong Kong. He'd only told her she'd been missing, they'd believed her dead, and that she would be returning to Los Angeles for de-briefing. He'd been distant and troubled, leaving after his terse explanation, the wedding ring glinting on his finger.  
  
She saw an agent holding a sign with her name as she entered the gate area. He would be driving her to the CIA safe house where she would be staying the next who knew how long. Sydney just wanted to sleep. The Los Angeles night was hot and muggy. Depression washed over her in waves as she and the non-descript agent got into the equally non-descript sedan. Sydney was grateful for the air-conditioning as she and her driver sped through the city streets.  
  
The safe house was as plain as she had expected. Sydney was surprised to realize she was hungry and went into the kitchen to see what food the CIA had stocked up for her. She found a frozen dinner and proceeded to cook it in the microwave. It wasn't the best tasting food in the world, but it stopped her stomach from its loud protesting.  
  
After throwing away the remains of her dinner, she wandered through the house, familiarizing herself with her new surroundings. She found toiletries in the bathroom and clothes in the bedroom. The clothes were a size too big but they would do. She'd lost weight in the last 2 years. 2 years. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of having been missing. In her mind, it had only been yesterday that she and Vaughn had been intent on escaping to Santa Barbara. Her heart ached at the thought of Vaughn. She pushed the pain down. She would have to deal with that later.  
  
Sydney shook her head and went back into the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water felt good on her aching muscles. After drying off and putting on some pajamas, she brushed her teeth and, yawning, she went to bed.  
  
Sydney was back in her old apartment. Francie had just knocked her into the bathroom and Syd came face to face with Will lying in the bathtub, bloodied and seemingly dead. Bile rose in her throat as she turned to attack the thing that had brought her so much pain. Syd kept kicking and punching, trying to get to her gun to put an end to the woman who had robbed Syd of her closest friends. Her hand wrapped around the solid weight of her gun. Quickly, she lifted it and fired.  
  
"Sydney, wake up. Sydney."  
  
Frantically, Sydney opened her eyes, not quite able to let go of her nightmare. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar surroundings, not focusing on where she really was.  
  
Then she recognized the person who had woken her. Her father was sitting on the side of the bed, waiting for Sydney to shake free of her nightmare. Syd had never been so relieved to see someone in her life. She reached for him and felt safe as he wrapped his arms around her. Sunlight poured into the room through the window as Jack Bristow held onto his only daughter. CIA be damned, he thought, as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her again. He'd been through hell the past 2 years, not knowing where Sydney was or even if she was alive. 


	2. Dissonance Chapter 2

TITLE: Dissonance  
  
AUTHOR: Lillian  
  
RATING: PG for Chapters 1 & 2, eventually NC-17  
  
SUMMARY: The Telling aftermath  
  
SPOILERS: All the way through season two, post-episode for The Telling.  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters all belong to JJ, in whom I trust until September. If I owned them, I wouldn't be working a 2nd job.   
  
A/N: A friend wrote a fic post Telling and it inspired my own bit of madness. Second chapter. This is my first non-humorous fan fiction that I've written all by myself. Thanks Liz for beta-reading this for me and helping me hash out the storyline. Did I mention I'm nervous about posting this? Thank you for the kind feedback so far.   
  
Chapter 2  
  
Sydney loosened herself from her father's embrace. Leaning back she saw her father's tears and knew this wasn't the same man she'd rescued from Sloane in Mexico City. The Jack Bristow she'd known would never have allowed her to see such raw emotion.  
  
"I've never seen you cry before, Dad," Syd commented as she wiped a tear away from Jack's cheek. "Not when Mom supposedly died, not when you've been tortured, never."  
  
"Let's just say the opportunities for soul-searching have been plentiful the past 2 years, Sydney. I've come to certain realizations about myself, about you, about your mother…" Jack let the last word drift off as he composed himself.   
  
Sydney almost missed seeing Jack's control slip back into place, it was that fast. Some things hadn't changed.   
  
She wanted to ask about Irina but she was more interested in her father at the moment. "How are you, Dad? Are you ok?"  
  
Jack gave a short laugh as he moved to sit in the chair by Sydney's bed. "I'm fine, sweetheart. Now that I know you're alive, I'm fine."  
  
Sydney's eyes, still keen and observant, looked over her father's face. She noted that the lines around his eyes were deeper, his gray hair she had always thought so distinguished was showing more white.   
  
"Have I passed scrutiny?" Jack asked ruefully. He knew what his daughter was doing, and he was glad of it. It meant her mental state was better than he had expected, that her senses were still sharp.  
  
"It's been a difficult time for you, hasn't it? I'm sorry for that." Syd told him, smoothing the bed sheet as she spoke. "I wish…" Her voice dropped off because she didn't know where to start with what she wished. There were so many things. Her father not to have been through so much pain, her mother to just be her mother, Vaughn.   
  
Jack briefly placed his hand over his daughter's and said, "Sydney, I'm here to drive you to the CIA to begin your de-briefing. I wanted to be the one to see you in Hong Kong but Vaughn was closer."  
  
Sydney let her face fill with her love for her father. She didn't want him to see her anguish over Vaughn. That pain was hers alone. "I just need to get dressed, Dad. I'll only be a minute."   
  
Jack nodded as he got up from his chair. "I'll be waiting outside, Sydney."  
  
Sydney went into the bathroom to clean herself up. After putting on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Sydney tied her running shoes and went outside to her father.  
  
Jack still drove a black Lincoln and Sydney teased him about having the same car, even though she knew it was a later model. He surprised Sydney and himself by smiling at her casual needling.   
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Yes, Sydney?"  
  
"What happened to Mom?"  
  
Jack knew that Sydney wouldn't have been able to wait to find out about her mother. He'd surmised she would have asked first thing.   
  
Since this car was his, and not the CIA's, Jack only paused a moment before answering his daughter's question. "She's been in hiding for the past year." Jack took his time with his next revelation. "The CIA doesn't know where she is - and I haven't told them." He cast a sidelong glance at Sydney as his words sank in.  
  
Sydney considered the information and then zeroed in on the most important part, in her mind. "Was she really trying to help take down Sloane?"  
  
Jack's words were measured, thoughtful. "Yes, she helped defeat Sloane. In fact, she was the one who killed him." He held back the fact that he and Irina were slowly getting to know each other again, that he was helping her to evade the US authorities.   
  
"But she told me that I was the only one who could defeat Sloane, that she wasn't the one in Rambaldi's prophesy. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's dead. It's just one more thing that doesn't make any sense."  
  
They pulled up to the CIA's offices and got out of Jack's car. He walked her into the building and told her Dr. Barnett was waiting in her office for Sydney.   
  
"I'll take you back to the safe house later, Sydney, after you've finished here for the day." Jack gave her arm a reassuring squeeze as he turned to walk away. Sydney took a deep breath and entered the psychologist's office. 


	3. Dissonance Chapter 3

Sydney was comforted by the fact that Dr. Barnett's office hadn't changed at all. She even had the same furniture. Sydney took it all in as her gaze swept quickly around the office. Her eyes ended on the blonde psychiatrist walking from behind her desk.  
  
"Sydney, it's so good to see you. Please sit down." Dr. Barnett was as professional and gracious as ever.  
  
"Thank you Doctor." Sydney sat down on the dark tan couch, perching herself on the edge of the seat. She folded her hands in her lap and waited for Dr. Barnett to speak.  
  
Dr. Barnett's alert blue eyes didn't miss any of Sydney's discomfort. The therapist in her wanted to draw out Sydney's problems, to help her. Unfortunately, Dr. Barnett worked for the US Government. That meant the therapist would have to wait.  
  
"Ok, Sydney, shall we begin? Please sit back on the couch, find a comfortable position. You can lie down if you'd like."  
  
Sydney moved further back onto the couch. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. She wanted to know what had happened to her, how she had lost 2 years of her life and the fastest way to accomplish that would be to let Dr. Barnett into her head.  
  
"That's good. All right, I'd like you to choose a spot on the wall behind me and fix your eyes solely on that spot. Very good. Now Sydney, I'm going to count backwards from 5 to 1. As I do this you will feel yourself relax. 5. You are feeling very relaxed and at peace."  
  
Sydney felt her body begin to respond to Dr. Barnett's voice. Her eyelids became heavy and fell closed.  
  
"1. You are completely relaxed." Dr. Barnett raised Sydney's arm and was satisfied that Sydney was completely under when Sydney's arm fell back down to the chair without any resistance. "Sydney, I want you to go back in time with me. Almost two years ago. Your last CIA mission. What are you doing?"  
  
Sydney's voice sounded as though it was coming from far away as she automatically responded to the doctor's question. "I'm going to rescue my father from Arvin Sloane. Vaughn and I are entering an office building in Mexico City."  
  
"Good, good. Let's fast forward a bit. You've rescued your father and he's safe. You've left Mexico City. What are you doing now?"  
  
"I'm home. I'm sitting in my living room, eating ice cream. I'm with Francie. I've got a voice mail message on my cel phone. I'm calling to check the message. It's Will. He says the double is Francie."  
  
Dr. Barnett can see Syd's pulse jump as she begins to get upset. "Sydney, nothing can hurt you. You're fine. You're removed from what is going on. Nothing can hurt you now. What is the next thing that happens?"  
  
"I offer Francie some of my ice cream. I know she hates coffee ice cream. If she eats it, then she's the double. My stomach hurts. I don't want this to be true. Oh God, she ate the ice cream. I'm trying not to show anything on my face. I have to get my gun. This isn't Francie. This isn't Francie. I'm going into my bedroom to get my gun. She's in the doorway. We fight. I'm so angry, I can't see anything except this person who must have killed my best friend. I throw everything I have into hurting her. She crashes me into the bathroom. I'm dazed, I've hit my head on the bathtub. Then I see him. Will lying in the tub. Pain, so much pain and blood. I want to throw up but there's no time. I have to kill it, this thing that's ripped out my heart. I want nothing more than to tear her throat out. I've never been this angry before, this enraged." Tears fall from Sydney's eyes as she relives her past.  
  
"What happens next?"  
  
"I shoot her. We end up in the living room and I shoot her. Three times. I aim for her head but I'm fuzzy. I must have a concussion because black spots dance before my eyes. I'm going to pass out."  
  
"Ok, let's go forward to the time after you've fainted. What do you see when you regain consciousness?"  
  
"Gray walls. Dim light. I'm glad of that, my head is pounding. It takes me awhile to fully wake up. I'm laying on a cot in a plain room, no windows. I try to sit up but I'm dizzy. I vomit heaves over the side of the cot. The floor is linoleum. Dark green linoleum. I feel a little better after I throw up. I try sitting up again and can manage this time. I move to push the hair out of my face and I hear clinking. I'm chained to the wall."  
  
"What else do you see?"  
  
"A door by the head of the cot. It's metal. No window in the door. I'm in some kind of cell. My mind is clearing. There's a surveillance camera in the far left corner of the room, hanging from the ceiling. It comes back to me, killing the double, Will in the bathtub, blacking out. My mind is racing. I'm trying to think where I could be. I wonder what Vaughn will do when he goes back to pick me up at my apartment. I know he will be worried and I feel bad. Wait. I hear someone coming. They're at the door. I turn my head to see who's taken me. I curse to myself as I see who enters the room. It's Sark." 


	4. Dissonance Chapter 4

Dissonance Chapter 4 can be read at Cover Me - the site address is . I'm listed under Lillian at that site.  
  
The rating is NC-17 so please be responsible about reading this chapter. If you're under 17, you know you're not supposed to be following this link.  
  
Thanks! 


	5. Dissonance Chapter 5

TITLE: Dissonance  
  
AUTHOR: Lillian  
  
RATING: PG for language mostly  
  
SUMMARY: The Telling aftermath  
  
SPOILERS: All the way through season two, post-episode for The Telling.  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters all belong to JJ, in whom I trust until September. If I owned them, I wouldn't be working a 2nd job.  
  
A/N: A friend wrote a fic post Telling and it inspired my own bit of madness. This is my first non-humorous fan fiction that I've written all by myself. More Vaughn is its own animal. No beta for this one yet. Changes may occur later but for now this is it!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The pain inside grew until she couldn't stand it and she cried, tears pouring from her eyes as her body was racked with sobs. She knew Sark was evil, knew that given the chance she would kill him without hesitation. Yet he had given her sexual pleasure such as she had never experienced before. How could she have enjoyed that? What kind of person did that make her? And this had been while Vaughn was still hers. Trying to reconcile f****** Sark, and liking it, with her love for Vaughn was driving her insane.  
  
Vaughn. She was still in love with him. As far as her internal timeline was concerned, she had only fought with Francie's double a few days ago. She and Vaughn had been planning to go to Santa Barbara. Sydney closed her eyes and saw Vaughn's face. His beautiful green eyes, full of love for her. He had loved her, more completely than anyone. How could he have forgotten that, given her up for dead and married someone else in only 2 years? Sydney knew that if the roles had been reversed, she wouldn't have rested until she'd found him, alive or dead. She would have needed that closure. Moving on after Danny had died had been a natural progression. The finality of his death had allowed her to grieve, left her free to find love again.  
  
And she had found love. Love that she had never known and would never know again. Vaughn was her soul mate. That he could have moved on so quickly cut her deeply. Sydney couldn't process it. The entire idea was absurd.  
  
All of these thoughts swirled through her brain as her tears subsided. She had finally cried herself dry. She didn't think she had any more tears left inside of her. Thinking of Vaughn filled her with a dull pain that constricted around her heart. She knew she was going to have to face this, the fact that Vaughn was married to someone else.  
  
She picked herself up off of the floor and went to the bathroom. She filled the sink with cold water and, pulling her hair back with her hand, submerged her face. The water felt good against her tear ravaged eyes. She released the stopper in the sink, dried herself off, and walked out through the bedroom and living room and into the kitchen. She hadn't eaten yet today and looking at the clock, saw that it was after 1 p.m. There hadn't been time when her father had come to take her to Dr. Barnett that morning.  
  
She wasn't hungry but knew that not eating wasn't going to help her. She rummaged through the cupboards and found some soup. Nice, bland chicken noodle soup and perfect for the time being. She busied herself with the mundane tasks of opening the can, heating the soup and pouring it into a plain white bowl. She sipped the hot soup and felt the heat from it all the way down to her stomach. It was familiar and soothing.  
  
She felt a bit calmer after she finished eating. While she washed the bowl and spoon, she decided she needed some answers. She needed to find out what had happened with Vaughn over the past 2 years. Unfortunately, for that she needed to talk to Vaughn. She wasn't sure that would be such a good idea. On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to hear him, to wrap herself in the cadence of his voice. On the other hand, it would be torture. Exquisite torture, but so painful nonetheless.  
  
She wasn't sure what to do and hated it. Indecision never sat well with her. It made her angry. Angry was better than this indecisiveness. The hell with this s***, she thought.  
  
She turned and walked into the living room. She picked up the phone and heard a CIA operator come on the line.  
  
"How may I help you, Ms. Bristow?" The cool, efficient voice asked.  
  
"I'd like to speak to Agent Michael Vaughn please." Points to me for being polite, Sydney thought.  
  
"I'm sorry, Michael Vaughn is no longer with the CIA, Ms. Bristow."  
  
The ache in Sydney's heart was turning into despair. "Not with the CIA? Ok." Sydney's mind raced as she tried to think who would know where Vaughn was. "May I speak to Director Kendall please?"  
  
"Certainly. Please hold while I transfer you." The line clicked and was silent except for the occasional tone that let Sydney know she hadn't been disconnected.  
  
"Director Kendall's office, Mary Beth speaking. How may I help you?"  
  
"I'd like to speak to the Director please."  
  
"May I ask who's calling?"  
  
"Sydney Bristow. Please, it's important."  
  
"Of course, Ms. Bristow. Please hold for a moment while I see if the Director is available." The line clicked again and once more Sydney was listening to the computer generated beeping.  
  
Sydney wrapped the phone cord around her fingers as she waited for Kendall to come on the line. Come on you bald headed bastard, Sydney thought, answer the phone. More beeping. Sydney was about to yell at the phone in frustration when Kendall finally picked up.  
  
"Sydney. How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm fine, Director. I need a favor, please. Could you please tell me how I might get in touch with Michael Vaughn?" I said please, so you better tell me before I come down there and beat your face in, Sydney thought.  
  
She heard Kendall sigh as though she was asking for the world. And in a way, she was. She was asking for the key to her world. "I can't do that, Sydney. Mr. Vaughn's whereabouts are classified and you're not cleared to have access to that information."  
  
"Director Kendall. I've just been through some of the worst days of my life. All of them caused by the CIA. The least you can do is to give me Vaughn's phone number." The anger and frustration were evident in her voice and she didn't care as long as she found out what she needed to know.  
  
"Sydney," Kendall exhaled loudly into the phone, "I can't do that. I'd give you the information if I could, but I can't." And with that, he hung up.  
  
Sydney almost screamed as she slammed the receiver down. She had furiously paced the living room 5 times before she calmed down enough to realize what Kendall had said by emphasizing the fact that he couldn't tell her. He couldn't give her the information but someone else could.  
  
Sydney picked the receiver up again. When the operator came on the line, Sydney asked for the one person she knew would tell her what she needed to know.  
  
"Can you get me Jack Bristow please?" 


	6. Dissonance Chapter 6

TITLE: Dissonance - Chapter 6  
  
AUTHOR: Lillian  
  
RATING: G  
  
SUMMARY: The Telling aftermath  
  
SPOILERS: All the way through season two, post-episode for The Telling.  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters all belong to JJ, in whom I trust until September. If I owned them, I wouldn't be working a 2nd job.  
  
A/N: A friend wrote a fic post Telling and it inspired my own bit of madness. This is my first non-humorous fan fiction that I've written all by myself. More Vaughn is its own animal. If you feel strongly about Syd and Vaughn, remove all breakable objects from your vicinity before you reach the end of this short chapter. Just remember, I'm a strong SV shipper too. Trust me.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Sydney heard her father's car pull up in front of the safe house. She leapt up from the living room couch and opened the door. Jack nodded to the agent standing guard in the shadows at the side of the house as he made his way up the front walk. Sydney's mouth was set in a hard line and she glared at her father as he entered the living room. She was irritated with him for making her wait until he could come back to the safe house. While the spy part of her understood why he would rather talk about an apparently sensitive subject in person, the female part of her needed answers now.  
  
"Dad, where's Vaughn?"  
  
"Hello to you too, Sydney. It's been so long since I last saw you."  
  
Sydney's eyes grew wide at her father's teasing. Not only because this was the last thing she needed, but because her father never teased her.  
  
Jack chuckled at Sydney's obvious discomfiture. "Come on Sydney, let's sit down." Jack motioned Sydney over to the couch as he pulled a pen from his jacket's inner pocket. He twisted the cap and set it on the table.  
  
"Now, Michael Vaughn. Most of what I'm about to tell you is classified and while I can't tell you everything, I think it will be enough information to make you feel better."  
  
Sydney sat with her hands clasped together in her lap. Her eyes were red rimmed and swollen, her face still blotchy from crying earlier. Her head was beginning to hurt but she wasn't about to take any aspirin, not when answers were so close at hand.  
  
"Vaughn went crazy when he went back to your apartment and saw everything in a shambles. He looked for you, but by then you were gone. He did, however, find Will still alive in the bathtub and called me. He saved Will's life."  
  
Sydney wanted to ask about Will but knew it could wait, would have to wait because while Will was her friend, finding out about Vaughn was more important right now.  
  
"After I arrived and took charge of Will, Vaughn searched the apartment trying to find some evidence of where you might be. When he couldn't find any leads, he did everything he could to find out where you were. He never stopped Sydney, not even to eat or sleep. He was becoming a shadow of himself." Jack paused, seeming to remember what that time had been like. "I was trying to find you as well. Vaughn eventually resigned from the CIA, he couldn't balance the work with his search for you. I stayed on and helped him through official, and unofficial, channels."  
  
Sydney wasn't surprised at any of this. It was what she would have done if Vaughn had disappeared under the same circumstances. She felt bad for Vaughn, having worried and pushed himself so hard because of her. Honestly, though, she expected that of him. She expected it of herself. That was how much their love had meant, how strong it had been.  
  
Jack waited for Sydney to process what he had told her so far. Jack's eyes showed his concern for his only daughter. He didn't want to tell her the next part but understood her need to know.  
  
"While Vaughn was going through all of this, he needed someone to lean on, someone to talk to. At first he confided in Agent Weiss but after a little over a year of searching, Vaughn withdrew from everyone at the CIA except for me. At that point, the CIA believed you had been killed."  
  
Sydney's stomach was churning as she waited for her father to continue. She had a dreadful sense of foreboding as he resumed the story.  
  
"Not long after the CIA discontinued their official investigation into your disappearance, Vaughn began spending some time with his ex-girlfriend Alice."  
  
At those words, everything fell into place, like a dark shroud falling over her heart. "Vaughn is married to Alice." Sydney's words sounded hollow and felt like they echoed in her head. The headache that had begun as a dull throbbing flared painfully behind her eyes. Sydney's vision was becoming blurry. Her body couldn't handle any more stress, any more surprises. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she fell over and everything went black. 


	7. Dissonance Chapter 7

TITLE: Dissonance - Chapter 7  
  
AUTHOR: Lillian  
  
RATING: PG for language mostly  
  
SUMMARY: The Telling aftermath  
  
SPOILERS: All the way through season two, post-episode for The Telling.  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters all belong to JJ, in whom I trust until September. If I owned them, I wouldn't be working a 2nd job.  
  
A/N: A friend wrote a fic post Telling and it inspired my own bit of madness. This is my first non-humorous fan fiction that I've written all by myself. More Vaughn is its own animal.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Vaughn crept stealthily along, his gun held at his side. Jack had tracked Sydney to this small building in a remote area of Guatemala just outside of El Remate. The darkness of the night was complete, the inky blackness that only happens out in the country. Vaughn reached up with his left hand to adjust the night vision goggles. They were the only thing allowing him to see where he was going.  
  
The building was featureless, windowless, and to an untrained eye, about to collapse. Sloane had hired some talented people to build this place, Vaughn thought as he dropped silently to his belly and slid up to the corner. He carefully looked and was relieved there wasn't a guard at the door. He got back on his feet and pressing his back to the wall, continued making his way to the only door in the building. Fear threatened to slide through his veins but he forced himself to be calm and focused. This was the most important mission of his life, he couldn't afford to screw this up.  
  
From the intel Jack had given him, Vaughn knew there was an electronic keypad at the door. He entered the stolen code and, removing his night vision goggles, was relieved to see the red light turn to green. He was trusting Jack to have already switched the feed from the security cameras to an endless loop of film that didn't feature Vaughn as its star. He slipped inside the door, closing it quietly behind him.  
  
When he wasn't immediately attacked, Vaughn stole down the hallway, cautiously turning left then right as Jack had told him. He could hear a loud thrumming coming from one of the doors at the far end of the hall. It didn't take a genius to figure out which door he needed.  
  
Vaughn was hoping for a window in the door and was intensely relieved when he found there was one. He was on his own for this, the CIA had refused to allocate any resources to find Sydney. Jack had been his only ally and once Jack had found out where Sydney was, together they had devised a plan for saving her.  
  
Vaughn looked cautiously through the window and was immediately furious when he saw Sydney lying unconscious on some kind of table, with wires attached to her body. It was almost more than he could bear, red clouded his vision as he struggled to regain control.  
  
"Easy there Vaughn, wouldn't do to have you blowing it all now."  
  
Vaughn raised his gun and was squeezing the trigger when he turned and saw Dixon pressed against the wall next to him. Dixon had grabbed Vaughn's gun hand and was exerting just enough pressure to keep the gun aimed in a less lethal direction.  
  
"Dixon, what the f***?" Vaughn whispered roughly. "I nearly shot you." And you nearly gave me a heart attack, Vaughn added silently to himself. He slowed his breathing and couldn't help but grin as he relaxed his arm. Dixon released Vaughn's wrist and grinned in response.  
  
"I couldn't let you rescue Sydney all by yourself. Jack asked me to come down and help you." Dixon whispered, careful not to speak too loudly. "What are we up against in there?"  
  
"I was trying to figure that out when you snuck up on me." Vaughn whispered back. He risked peering through the window again. "It's a small room, Sydney's out cold on a table, two guards. No Sloane."  
  
"Ok, let's do it." Dixon duck-walked under the window to the other side of the door. "Kick in the door and I'll be right behind you."  
  
Vaughn nodded his agreement. He took a deep breath and gripping his gun, landed a hard kick at the door lock. It gave with a loud crack and they entered the room, guns' firing at the two henchmen. The fight was short and ended with both of Sloane's guards dead.  
  
Vaughn was wary of the fact that there weren't more people for him to shoot at. It was with a sense of unease that Vaughn hurried over to Sydney as Dixon watched the door. Vaughn felt for a pulse and was relieved to the point of tears when he felt Sydney's heart beating. He disconnected the wires and removed the intravenous line from her arm. He noticed a machine of some sort causing the loud noise but was more concerned at that moment with getting Sydney out of there.  
  
Vaughn was about to gather Sydney into his arms when something made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He looked over at Dixon who also seemed unsettled.  
  
"Do you feel that?" Vaughn asked, looking around the room.  
  
"Yeah, I don't like it either." Dixon replied as he leaned into the hallway. "There's nothing out here." As he began to pull himself back into the room, his right shoulder whipped around and he screamed "Vaughn" as he fell to the floor.  
  
Vaughn had his gun ready and was standing protectively in front of Sydney when Sloane began to enter the room. Sloane was raising his gun to shoot at Vaughn but Vaughn had the advantage. Sloane hadn't completely made his way inside when Vaughn aimed for Sloane's head and fired. Sloane's head exploded in a spray of blood and thicker things. Vaughn didn't take any chances and fired twice more into Sloane's chest. Sloane's body collapsed on top of Dixon.  
  
Vaughn walked over and kicked Sloane out of the way. He would have checked his pulse to make sure he was dead, but there wasn't much left above Sloane's shoulders.  
  
"Sorry man" Vaughn apologized to Dixon as he knelt down and inspected Dixon's shoulder wound.  
  
"No problem, I only wish I'd done it myself." Dixon winced with the pain as he pulled himself up to a standing position. "I'll be ok, it's not a bad hit. I'm surprised he didn't kill me."  
  
Vaughn walked back across the room to Sydney. "I don't think he had a good enough shot at first," Vaughn replied. He didn't waste any more time in lifting Sydney and following Dixon out of the room.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Two days later.  
  
Sydney heard a voice speaking softly to her, pulling her out of the blackness. At first, she thought it was her father. She'd been talking to him last, hadn't she? It was hard to remember details.  
  
"And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,  
  
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,  
  
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,  
  
But tell of days in goodness spent,  
  
A mind at peace with all below,  
  
A heart whose love is innocent!"*  
  
The voice broke off and she heard the sound of a page turning. She blinked open her eyes and saw Vaughn, sitting at her bedside and getting ready to read another poem. He looks tired, she thought. She lifted her hand to reach for him. He saw the movement in his peripheral vision and turned his head. Their eyes met and she could swear he'd been crying.  
  
"Sydney." That one word held everything he felt at that moment. Relief, joy, and most of all, love.  
  
Sydney gave Vaughn a weak smile and again she reached for his hand. Her fingers brushed off his right hand that was closer to hers and she picked up his left hand and held it. She looked down with trepidation in her eyes as she felt for his ring finger.  
  
There was no ring.  
  
* "She Walks in Beauty" by George Gordon, Lord Byron 


	8. Dissonance Chapter 8

TITLE: Dissonance - Chapter 8  
  
AUTHOR: Lillian  
  
RATING: G  
  
SUMMARY: The Telling aftermath  
  
SPOILERS: All the way through season two, post-episode for The Telling.  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters all belong to JJ, in whom I trust until September. If I owned them, I wouldn't be working a 2nd job.  
  
A/N: A friend wrote a fic post Telling and it inspired my own bit of madness. This is my first non-humorous fan fiction that I've written all by myself.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Sydney set her coffee down on the table and took a seat in the CIA Briefing room. It had been 2 weeks since Vaughn had saved her from Sloane. She beamed as Vaughn took his place beside her and she gripped his hand under the table. She still wasn't sure what had happened to her. She'd only been released from the hospital a couple days ago. She was staying with Vaughn while she salvaged what she could from her the rubble that used to be her apartment.  
  
Vaughn grinned back at Sydney. He had never been so happy as he was when Sydney had woken up in the hospital. He'd been so afraid he'd lost her. He was never letting her go again. Sydney didn't know it yet, but Vaughn had plans for them. He didn't want to scare her by asking her to marry him right away - that could wait for now. But he did plan to talk to her about finding a house where they could live together. He was fine with renting, if that was what she wanted, but he'd rather they bought one. The thought of both of their names on a deed made his smile grow even wider.  
  
Syd and Vaughn were so wrapped up in each other, they didn't hear Weiss enter the briefing room.  
  
"If your grins get any bigger, your heads are going to split in half."  
  
"You're just jealous, Weiss." Vaughn teased his friend.  
  
Sydney's only response was to turn toward Weiss and stick out her tongue. Weiss couldn't help but laugh.  
  
They toned down the levity as Director Kendall entered the room, followed closely by Jack, Marshall, and Dixon. Jack took a seat on the other side of Sydney and the corners of his mouth lifted as he lowered himself into the chair. Sydney gave her father an affectionate peck on the cheek to show she understood what he was trying to say with that small smile.  
  
"Let's begin." Director Kendall stood at the front of the room, that consistently dour look on his face. "First of all, welcome back Agent Bristow. Thank you for coming in during your leave."  
  
Sydney nodded in acknowledgment, silently wishing Kendall would get on with it. She squeezed Vaughn's hand under the table and felt him squeeze hers back in response.  
  
Kendall continued, "As you all know, Agent Bristow had been kidnapped by Arvin Sloane. Agents Vaughn and Dixon rescued her from Sloane's hideout near El Remate, Guatemala. She was attached to some sort of device. Marshall, you've had some time to examine it. Tell us what you've found."  
  
Marshall stood up and nervously fingered the pen he was holding. "Well, based on reports from Assistant Director Bristow, Agent Vaughn, Agent Dixon, and Sydney - glad to see you back, by the way, Sydney, err I mean Agent Bristow. Yeah, um, anyway, based on their reports and from investigating the device, we believe it's a Rambaldi invention called The Telling. I'd say the Italian name but it'd probably end up sounding like what Carrie and I had for dinner last night. Um, I mean Agent Bowman and I."  
  
"Marshall, get on with it," Kendall barked as he glared at Marshall.  
  
"Right, sorry. Ok. This device," Marshall explained as he pointed to a picture of the machine Sydney had been hooked up to, "Doesn't predict the future, as we think Mr. Sloane believed. It reads a person's subconscious thoughts, their fears, their desires, whatever. It does this by using a combination of electrical impulses to specific spots on the subject's body and by the subject being injected with a glycol based chemical mixture that makes him, or her," with this Marshall gestured toward Sydney, "more susceptible to the machine."  
  
"Does the machine record the subject's subconscious thoughts?" Sydney asked, trying to hide her growing trepidation. She let go of Vaughn's hand because she didn't want him to feel how nervous the idea made her. She covered releasing his hand by tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear.  
  
"Not that I could find but I'm still investigating. What I can't figure out is why Sloane had Sydney hooked up in the first place? Didn't he believe she, err you I mean, um, were the woman on page 47 and the one spoken about in his prophecy? Why didn't he just kill you? I mean, I'm glad he didn't but." Marshall trailed off, looking at Sydney then Jack then over to Vaughn.  
  
Jack spoke up in response to Marshall's question. "From what I've been able to discern from various intel sources, Sloane wanted to test the machine on someone before he used it on himself. He believed the machine would tell the future. He did intend to kill Sydney if she survived the machine."  
  
After discussing a few more details of the machine, the meeting broke up. Sydney told Vaughn she'd meet him outside in a few minutes.  
  
"Dad, do you have a minute?"  
  
"Yes, of course, Sydney." Jack waited with his usual stoic expression on his face.  
  
"There are so many things I've been wondering about but more than anything, I." Sydney paused as she gathered the courage she needed to speak. "How did you know where to find me?" Sydney tilted her head slightly sideways as she waited for her father to answer.  
  
"Your mother told me about Sloane's hideout in Guatemala." Jack paused a moment as if her were trying out the taste of saying 'your mother' to Sydney. "Sark provided us with the code to the keypad lock."  
  
Sydney's eyes widened at the mention of Sark. With everything that had happened in the past couple weeks, she'd forgotten he was in CIA custody. She hoped her father thought the reaction was because of her mother.  
  
"Is she safe?" Sydney's voice was subdued and full of pain as she asked about Irina.  
  
"I think so. She hasn't told me where she is." Jack's left eye squinted almost imperceptibly as he answered Sydney's question.  
  
He can lie to everyone else, but not to me, Sydney thought, observing her father's unconscious tic. Another time, she might have pursued it, might have pushed him into a stony silence or even an argument. Not anymore. If her father needed to keep Irina's whereabouts a secret, she could accept that.  
  
"Will you tell her thank you from me?" Sydney asked, looking knowingly into her father's eyes. "And that," Sydney faltered for a moment, "please tell her I love her." Sydney swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall.  
  
Jack gazed at his daughter with a newfound respect. She knows I'm lying, he thought, but she's letting it go. "I will, sweetheart, I will." Jack wasn't a man prone to showing his emotions but it was more than he could do to resist folding his daughter into a strong embrace. For a few seconds, he allowed the love he felt for Sydney to swell from his heart.  
  
He heard Sydney sigh into his shoulder as she hugged him back.  
  
"I love you, too, Dad." 


	9. Dissonance Chapter 9

Dissonance Chapter 9 can be read at Cover Me. The site address is . I am listed under Lillian at that site.  
  
The rating is NC-17 so please be responsible about reading this chapter. If you're under 17, you know you're not supposed to be following this link.  
  
Thanks! 


	10. Dissonance Chapter 10

TITLE: Dissonance - Chapter 10  
  
AUTHOR: Lillian  
  
RATING: PG  
  
SUMMARY: The Telling aftermath  
  
SPOILERS: All the way through season two, post-episode for The Telling.  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters all belong to JJ, in whom I trust until September. If I owned them, I wouldn't be working a 2nd job.  
  
A/N: A friend wrote a fic post Telling and it inspired my own bit of madness. This is my first non-humorous fan fiction that I've written all by myself. Last chapter! I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Sydney left her parked car and strolled into the CIA building. She hummed to herself as she walked through the security checkpoints and keyed in her access code before entering the rotunda. She felt lighter than air. Of course, a weekend full of incredibly hot sex had been known to do that to a person.  
  
She smiled while she sat down at her desk and locked her purse in the drawer. Nothing had changed. She'd been away for a month. Sydney wondered what on earth she would do now. Sloane was dead. The future lay before her with seemingly endless possibilities. She'd begun toying with the idea of leaving the CIA and making use of her master's degree. She hadn't talked to Vaughn about it yet but knew he'd support her in whatever she decided to do.  
  
Vaughn. At the thought of him, she looked at the empty key chain on her desk. They'd each bought one yesterday in Santa Barbara. Vaughn had asked her if she wanted to move in with him. Like there was any possibility of a negative answer. Then he'd asked if she wanted to rent or buy. Buy! She and Vaughn, owning a house together. They'd practically killed each other with the lovemaking that had ensued after that question. She was still a little sore, in fact. She chuckled to herself at the thought of the shape Vaughn was in. She'd actually drawn blood with her nails down his back. He hadn't complained a bit. If anything, he'd seemed thrilled with this new aspect to their sex life.  
  
Sydney didn't give a thought as to why she was suddenly more aggressive in bed with Vaughn. She'd pushed the memory of her subconscious "fling" with Sark out of her mind. She got up and walked toward the kitchen to get some coffee. As she made her way across the rotunda, she automatically checked a bank of security monitors along the wall. They showed the cell where her mother had been held. Sydney had spent hours watching Irina, trying to figure her out.  
  
Of course, the cell held a different prisoner now. She stood transfixed as she followed his graceful steps while he paced the cell. She heard the guard speak to Sark over the intercom. "It's time to go take your shower. You know what to do." Sydney couldn't tear herself away as Sark scowled and began removing his clothes. He revealed himself to her, the lean muscles of his torso showing themselves as he removed his shirt. Sydney chewed on her fingernail as Sark removed his pants, the long line of his thigh coming into view. He had the legs of a soccer player, she thought to herself, all sinewy muscles. Vaughn was more solid, having the thicker muscles of a hockey player. Sark was full of angles, sharpness and beauty. Her heart beat faster as he removed his boxers. Her brain screamed at her to stop looking but she couldn't. She was enthralled, held under some kind of spell. She got a brief glimpse of Sark's fully nude body before he wrapped himself into a gray robe. He turned and looked directly into the camera. A shock ran through her body as his piercing eyes met hers. She swore he knew she was there.  
  
She let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding as the guard led him away. Dazedly, she continued on to the kitchen. She shook her head and got a cup of coffee, strong and black. Sydney's body shivered as memories cascaded over her of her subconscious "time" with Sark. What's happening to me? I can't want him, she vowed to herself, I can't.  
  
No, I'll be fine, she said to herself. She decided to examine these strange feelings later. She had a wonderful man who loved her. She could deal with this. Sydney walked back to her desk, careful not to glance at the monitors again. She was glad to hear Weiss call her into a meeting with Kendall.  
  
"I'll be right there," she replied. Gathering control of herself, she lifted her head high and walked into the briefing room.  
  
~Fin~ 


End file.
